Case study

GripSense RSI Prevention Mouse

This project addresses repetitive strain injury risk from chronic computer use by focusing on prevention rather than treatment. The final concept, GripSense, combines ergonomic geometry, force-based vibrational feedback to discourage excessive grip, and periodic break reminders to reduce long-term wrist and hand strain during productivity work.

RoleProduct strategy, engineering design, and systems evaluation
TimelineDesign project
FocusErgonomic Product Design
Ergonomic product designHuman-factor risk preventionDecision-matrix selectionLifecycle and impact analysis
5-8 yearsTarget lifespan
$20,000 CADDesign budget cap
$47 per mouse (2021 USD)Economic IO impact

The brief

Challenge

Create a practical, affordable product that reduces RSI risk at the source for everyday computer users, rather than only treating symptoms after injury occurs.

Approach

What we made

I defined prevention-focused constraints and criteria, iterated concepts using the UBC model, selected the final design through structured tradeoff analysis, and evaluated lifecycle, economic, and implementation factors for a realistic deployment path.

  • Developed four alternatives and selected GripSense through weighted decision matrix and sensitivity analysis.
  • Designed around prevention constraints including affordability, broad compatibility, maintenance simplicity, and usability.
  • Integrated grip-force feedback plus 30-minute break prompts to lower cumulative overuse risk.

Outcome

Results

Produced a complete prevention-focused design for GripSense with ergonomic geometry, force-feedback behavior control, and scheduled break prompting, plus clear next steps for prototyping and sensor validation.

UBC design modelWeighted decision matrixSensitivity analysisEconomic input-output LCAGantt planning

Gallery

Visual snapshots

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